Who are the key ministers in Syria's new transitional government?
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara announced a transitional government on Saturday, appointing 23 ministers in a broadened cabinet. The move is seen as a key milestone in the transition from decades of Assad family rule and the improvement of ties with the West. The new cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country's five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government formed shortly after former president Bashar Al Assad was removed from power in early December. The cabinet does not have a prime minister. Instead it will have a secretary general, as set out in a temporary constitution signed this month by Mr Al Shara, leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the push to overthrow the Assad regime. Foreign Minister: Asaad Al Shibani Mr Al Shibani, 38, previously led the political department of a rebel government in north-west Idlib province. He played a part in creating the Syrian Salvation Government in 2017, alongside Mr Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani. Mr Al Shibani holds a master's degree in political science and international relations from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in Turkey. He had been a pursuing a PhD in the same field. Defence Minister: Murhaf Abu Qasra Born in 1984, he graduated from Damascus University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering. He joined the armed forces, completing his compulsory military service before the outbreak of Syrian civil war in 2011. He held the rank of first lieutenant, specialising in field artillery. He became involved in the uprising against Mr Al Assad early on and served as an HTS military commander in western Hama province. He led the military wing of HTS for five years, during which he established the Shahin Brigades, a drone unit for the rebel group. Minister of Interior: Anas Khattab Born in 1987, he studied architectural engineering at Damascus University. He joined the Syrian uprising in 2011 and held an administrative role until 2016. He later moved into the security field and founded the General Security Service within the Syrian Salvation Government, which had run much of Idlib since 2017. Mr Khattab led the intelligence service in the Syrian interim government. Minister of Justice: Mazhar Al Wais He was born in 1980 and studied medicine at Damascus University. He also studied Sharia and completed a preliminary master's degree. He was jailed for six years by the Assad regime and joined the uprising after his release, helping to establish a ministry of justice under the rebels in northern Syria. He was a member of the opposition Supreme Judicial Council until HTS led the assault on Damascus last year. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research: Marwan Al Halabi Mr Al Halabi, born in 1964, holds a postgraduate degree in obstetrics, gynaecology and surgery from Damascus University. He previously served as a professor in the university's faculty of medicine. He also led the Department of Anatomy, Histology, Embryology and Genetics at the institution from 2014 to 2017. Minister of Education: Mohammad Turko Born in 1979, he studied law at Damascus University and received doctorate from Leipzig University in Germany. He previously held teaching positions in the faculties of education and arts in the Syrian Virtual University, Damascus University, Al Sham Private University and the Arab International University. Minister of Finance: Mohammad Barniyeh Born in 1967, he earned a degree in economics from Damascus University and pursued graduate studies in the subject in the US between 1990 and 1994. He held various positions at the Arab Monetary Fund from 2009 to 2024, including director of the economic policies department. He also served as secretary general of the board of governors of Arab Central Banks and secretary general of the Arab Finance Ministers' Council. Minister of Health: Musab Al Ali He was born in 1985 and gained a medical degree at Homs University. He pursued postgraduate studies at Aleppo University, focusing on neurosurgery. He later worked in neurosurgery at hospitals in Germany. Mr Al Ali was recognised in Germany as a specialist in brain, spinal cord and nerve surgery. Minister of Information: Hamza Al Mustafa Born in 1985, he holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Damascus University and a doctorate in social sciences from the University of Exeter in the UK. He worked for the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, focusing on Syrian studies, and served as secretary for the Arab Policies journal. Mr Al Mustafa also served as an editorial supervisor at Al Araby TV Network in London and general director of Syria TV. Minister of Economy and Industry: Mohammad Al Shaar He previously served as Syria's minister of economy and trade, before leaving cabinet in 2012. He also served as secretary general of the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions. Mr Al Shaar worked in the US, including teaching courses at George Washington University. Minister of Social Affairs and Labour: Hind Kabawat Ms Kabawat, the only woman in the new Syrian cabinet, is a member of the country's Christian minority and was a long-time opponent of Mr Al Assad. She was a member of the preparatory committee for the national dialogue conference held in Damascus in February. Minister of Energy: Mohammad Al Bashir Mr Al Bashir was prime minister of Syria's interim government after the downfall of Mr Al Assad. He previously served as head of the Syrian Salvation Government and was minister of development and humanitarian affairs in the authority. Born in Idlib in 1983, Mr Al Bashir is a qualified engineer with a degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Aleppo. He also gained a master's degree in Sharia from the University of Idlib. He joined the uprising against Mr Al Assad in 2011.
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7 hours ago
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11 hours ago
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On 8 October 2023, a day after Israel launched its war on Gaza, Hezbollah opened a limited battlefront with Israel in support of Hamas and Palestinians under attack in the besieged enclave. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters For nearly a year, the conflict was mostly limited to clashes in the border areas between Lebanon and Israel. But in September, Israel exploded thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members before launching a widespread bombing campaign across the country followed by a ground invasion. Dozens of villages were erased and more than 3,900 Lebanese killed, including the group's charismatic and long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah. After Hezbollah signed up to a lopsided ceasefire on 27 November, Israel has repeatedly flaunted its dominance over Lebanon by occupying five strategic points in the south. Walid Jumblatt says Arab leaders must wake up to Israeli expansionism Read More » It has also repeatedly carried out air strikes on areas in the south and in late March, conducted its first raid on Beirut in four months. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), an American NGO which tracks violence, Israel carried out at least 330 aerial attacks between 27 November and 10 January 2025, destroying at least 260 properties in the first 60 days of the truce. Mousawi said that Hezbollah was shouldering its responsibility towards Lebanon and covering the costs of rehousing southerners made homeless by Israel's war. He said the movement had spent more than $1bn on rents and salaries for those displaced by the violence. "We have done a great part in the recovery process," he said. "It's not there yet and in some aspects it is not estimated that we will [get back to where we were]," he added. 'The Israelis want our land' Mousawi said that despite the destruction, which saw countless social, financial and medical Hezbollah-run institutions destroyed, the movement would continue to remain active and resist Israeli expansionism. "When you lose one battle, the important thing to recognise is that the environment of resistance is still there and so is Hezbollah's social matrix," he said. "Why do we have a resistance? Because the Israelis want our land. When you don't have a strong army to defend you, and America continues to deprive the Lebanese army of the means to defend itself, you are left with no other option than resistance," Mousawi added. While Israel is yet to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which was scheduled under the terms of the ceasefire for 18 February, Mousawi confirmed that Hezbollah had handed over its arms and pulled back its forces from their positions south of the Litani River in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 passed after their previous war with Israel in 2006. But he denied the movement was in talks with Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president and former chief of staff of the Lebanese army to hand over the rest of its arsenal of heavy weapons. "Hezbollah has handed over its arms south of the Litani [River]. When you talk about other arms, this is a sovereign discussion which is going to be discussed at a national level. "This is something for the Lebanon president who is prudent. The way he is handling the issues, it gives you an indication of what kind of man he is." Mousawi framed those discussions as Hezbollah's part in a "National Strategy Security Plan" to make sure that Lebanon can defend itself. Mousawi also heaped praise on the Lebanese army, despite it choosing to sit out Israel's war and battles with Hezbollah. "Who are the Lebanese army? They are brave people," he said. "My father was in the Lebanese army. My brother was in the Lebanese army. Some of them are martyrs but they are not being given the orders to fight and they don't have the equipment. "Our Lebanese army are strong and brave and they can do the mission if they have the right orders. We will be with them, the people of the land." 'We will work with anyone against Israel' Still, Mousawi was bitterly critical of the committee chaired by US General Jasper Jeffers, whose job it is to monitor the ceasefire, which he said gave Israel the scope to continue carrying out attacks in the south of the country. "We are under some kind of American mandate. This can give Lebanon scores of issues, but one thing I am sure of, the Americans won't succeed." Mousawi also said the fall of Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, presented a major change in the balance of power. Israel's aggression in Syria advances a century-long plan to co-opt the Druze Read More » "What happened in Syria is a major loss for the axis of resistance," he said. "It was in power for nearly 60 years and it went in days and hours." Syrian rebels, led by the now dissolved Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized the capital Damascus early on 7 December, as Assad fled to Russia, ending more than five decades of brutal dynastic rule. In the space of 10 days, the rebels captured Aleppo, Hama and Homs, with little resistance from demoralised Syrian troops. Assad's forces also pulled out of Deir Ezzor in the east, which was then taken by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. When asked whether Hezbollah would work with President Ahmed al-Sharaa or any future Syrian administration, Mousawi said the Shia movement was prepared to "work with anyone against Israel". But he said there were certain new realities that Sharaa would have to face. "I believe that no ruler, no president can oppose the unanimous will of his people. We believe in Arab nationalism. Let us hope that Syria will stay in the right position to be part of those who oppose the occupation. "In Hezbollah we are open to anyone to gain arms to oppose Israel. This is a period of rebuilding your capabilities in order to come back to your previous strength. Israel cannot get a hold of this region. The soul of revolution will always fight back," he added. 'No one in the camps is giving up their arms' Separately, a Palestinian source in southern Lebanon told MEE that whilst Hezbollah fighter fought bravely on the ground, the blows it received in Beirut and elsewhere "had a huge effect" on its fighting units. "Many of the fighters fled with their families, which gave Hezbollah an indication that they could not hold their positions on the ground much longer," the source, who is close to resistance groups, said. "Hezbollah were desperate to sign the ceasefire agreement because they could not have held on for even one month longer." 'The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause' - Palestinian Islamic Jihad source In April, a Hezbollah source told the AFP news agency that the movement had ceded 190 out of 265 military positions south of the Litani River to the Lebanese army. 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Najwa refused to leave her village so Israeli troops shot her in her home Read More » Palestinians in Lebanon vividly remember the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, when Israel-backed Christian Lebanese militiamen killed between 800 and 3,500 civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly. "No one in the camps is giving up their arms," Zaki, a man affiliated with Islamic Jihad, told MEE. "The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause. All factions of the resistance received a hit but will come back much stronger, as they have done in the past." A Palestinian academic source summed up the mood of all Palestinian factions in the camps, telling MEE: "How is it only the question of Palestinian arms?" "All the main political parties, even the Druze, have their own arms," he said. "If every single party has its own arms, what is the problem of Palestinians defending themselves? "Palestinians don't have heavy weapons. So let us talk about the problem of arms in the whole of the Lebanese community before we talk about any one group disarming," he added.
Middle East Eye
15 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Turkey and SDF hold direct talks under US mediation
Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held direct talks on Syria's future last week, with US facilitation, sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye. The parties discussed the US withdrawal from Syria, as well as the handover of prisons and camps holding Islamic State fighters and their families, the sources said. The meeting, attended by mid-level officials from both sides, also focused on how to integrate the SDF into a new Syrian military under Damascus's command. Although Ankara insiders believe there have been some contacts between Turkey and the SDF since last year, this is the first formal meeting between the parties to be revealed that also included US participation. The SDF, a US partner force against IS since 2014, is led by groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the EU. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Ankara and the PKK had been working on a so-called peace deal since last year. The PKK, following a call from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan in February, announced it would end its armed struggle and disband. As part of this initiative, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, reportedly Ocalan's adopted son during his time in Syria in the 1990s, signed a landmark deal with Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa in March, pledging to join the central government. However, since then, the SDF and other Kurdish political entities have called for a federation rather than a unitary state in Syria. Federation remains a red line for Ankara. 'Direct ties' In recent months, the SDF and Syrian government forces have engaged in minor skirmishes near the Tishreen Dam, but recent reports suggest progress has been made in exchanging prisoners of war and allowing a Damascus delegation to inspect IS camps last month. The sources told MEE that the trilateral meeting was significant, as it indicates coordination between parties that had competing agendas less than a year ago. Abdi, in a statement to the regional broadcaster Shams TV on Friday, confirmed his group was in contact with Turkey, without disclosing how long the communication channels had been open. SDF withdraws from key Syrian dam after agreement with Damascus Read More » 'We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed,' Abdi said. A US State Department official, on the other hand, told MEE that they do not comment on private diplomatic conversations. 'We are following the implementation of the March 10 agreement with the SDF and how the details of the agreement are developed,' the official said. 'Steps towards the peaceful integration of government forces and the SDF are encouraging signs of progress.' Last week, Al Monitor reported that Turkey had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a senior Turkish official, possibly the foreign minister or intelligence chief. Turkish foreign ministry sources swiftly denied the report. The US has been encouraging the SDF to resolve its differences with Damascus. Thomas Barrack, the US envoy for Turkey and Syria, told Turkish TV channel NTV that the SDF was surviving under the protection of US Central Command. 'I can say that unless there is a major change, the cooperation on our side will eventually disappear,' he said. 'So, there is great pressure for everyone to reach an agreement.' Barrack also said the US was closing down its military bases in Syria, reducing their number from eight to five, with the eventual goal of only one remaining. Ankara insiders told MEE that while the Turkish government could tolerate an informal autonomous zone -where the SDF could maintain a local security force in Kurdish-majority areas and run local governance with municipal powers - any move toward formal autonomy remains a red line. MEE reached out to the Turkish government for comment.
